The trade issue discussed shortly before the board crashed, sparked a very interesting discussion. Many museums I have visited have acquired over time many pieces which don't seem to fit with the rest of their collection.<p>SRM sent (sold) the P&N electric to Spencer where it more rightfully belonged (not many electric railroads in Georgia) and could be better taken care of. This was the right thing to do although some museum members didn't want to let it go because it was our only electic locomotive.<p>These types of issues and greater concern for managing a collection are creating a larger need for ongoing discussions about collection management, preservation, restoration, and ways to exhibit such collections.<p>Most musuems have pieces in their collections which may never be restored (and potentially lost) that might be better to trade, give or sell to a more fitting home. However, I have yet to find a means of exchanging information among a wide number of museums on potential trade (sell, etc.) equipment or other ongoing collection issues which we all have to deal with. It is likely that a problem anyone is facing has been addresses successfully or not by someone else already. But how do we communicate this?<p>It was mentioned that the B&O had some pieces that were deaccessioned not to museums since no other takers were found. Where were these pieces publicized?<p><br>

I agree - might I open this line of communication with SERM by requesting the transfer of your unused Central of Georgia coach to the Historic Railroad Shops site in Savannah, which is essentially interpreting only Central of Georgia history?<p>Dave<br>

The potential of trade, transfer, or sale of CofG 527 has been discussed internally in the past. To my knowledge, no formal request has ever been made from Savannah (I had a feeling this very suggestion would be made :)<p>A more comprehensive collections policy and detailed evaluation of current equipment and other items is in process. However, at this very time, all efforts are focused on readying our new site for opening. My guess is that such possibilities could be revisited around the end of the year.<p>A question about Savannah: (according to newspaper articles) When the site was first being set up as the Official Railway Museum of Georgia, they set out to acquire all possible rail equipment from throughout GA for display there and indeed did get a fair number. Has their focus now switched to only CofG?<br><br>

dave, your instincts are good; i think the main <br>venue for these things is to build relationships <br>between the different groups; you and i know each <br>other and can chat as well as some other folks <br>there; as one of the folks at spencer, i also <br>keep some contacts at TVRM, Cass, SERM etc. so <br>that we can talk about what works (ie, thomas the <br>tank engine) and what doesn't (various subjects, <br>from contractors to cars); i suggest making sure <br>you and everybody else with desires to "get <br>things home" be sure to attend TRAIN, ARM and the <br>railway preservation conferences at CSRM, where <br>you can make these contacts and get items home; i <br>think the sale of our ex-RDG baggage car a few <br>years ago to the Reading Technical & Historical <br>Society resulted from a railway preservation <br>conference at RR Museum of Pennsylvania several <br>years ago; <br> so, get out there and make friends guys; or <br>better yet, organize some exchange programs and <br>offer to take a crew to your neighbor's museum to <br>help out (a hint, dave) when they need a boost!<br> <br>

as a start, a museum has to have spent the time and energy to properlt define their mission statement, then look closely at the pieces of equipment to see if and where they fit in. Here in San Diego, we've tried doing that several times over the years - with limited success. However, we have sold pieces which didn't fit in - we do need to do more of it (C&O caboose, D&R coaches come to my mind)<p>Alot of member become attached to equipment over the years - and start to believe that "they" own it - the equipment actually belongs to the public - we are only caretakers!<p>So, keep the dialog up - and - we could sure use a SP F unit (pair) and the SD&A combine.<p>BTW - these are my own opinions!<br>

And since all the wooden Jim Crow combines used into the 60s on the C of G branchlines have been long scrapped, maybe we could use the D&R combine to interpret that part of southern history? Wish I had a spare SP F unit to trade.<p>Dave <br>

back at the top of the thread someone inquired about how the B&O Museum posted the news of items it was deaccesisoning.<p>I was a restoration shop worker at the Museum at the time (around 1994) but wasn't party to that side of the deal. The equipment in question was a CSS&SB heavyweight interurban commuter car (which came to us along with the Little Joe from the era of Chessie System control of the CSS&SB), and three SW-class EMD switchers which the State of Maryland gave us from the roster of the Canton Railroad. <p>The interurban car was pretty ragged out, and not unrestorable. My understanding is that Union and the other Midwestern groups felt it was duplicative of items already in their collections. The SWs were not rare at all; we removed certian parts from them to help us maintain the SW-1 and SW-900 in our core collection, and then put them out for bid.<p>I believe-- this is just personal supposition-- the the availability of the equipment was probably publicized by Museum director John Ott or collections manager Dennis Fulton "phoning around" their friends in the movement. Nothing more formal than that. I know they did make special efforts for the CSS&SB car before giving up.<p>In the end all four items were sold to Shorty Rail Services of Ohio, who salvaged the SWs and scrapped the interurban.<br>

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